Granpa’s sad view of future with financial obligations

TOUGH LIFE: Moimoi Mata’ia, a 63-year-old father from the village of Sato’alepai believes that sometimes life almost becomes too hard to live.

Moimoi Mata’ia, a 63-year-old father from the village of Sato’alepai believes that sometimes life almost becomes too hard to live.

He was spotted by the Village Voice while he was taking a break from his normal household tasks on the side of the road yesterday.

“I have children and they’ve all grown up,” he said. “As a father I am very proud of who they are and what they’ve accomplished.

“One of my sons is in New Zealand; my youngest daughter is in American Samoa and the rest of them live here (Samoa).

“My children’s efforts to do their part in the family make me happy; I just pray that they will continue to be blessed in the future.

“They always help us out whenever we need them, but for us parents, we also understand that they also have families to feed and other commitments.

“We know what is most needed and that is the only time we give them a call to help us.

“Sometimes we (parents) have to understand that life isn’t easy anymore when your children have to raise their own families”.

As for everyday life, Moimoi believes that most families in Samoa don’t make much money.

“That is the reality in Samoa nowadays.

“There’s nothing to hide because what we see today and how many (families) are struggling in dealing with life tells us everything.

“No matter how well paid most of our children are, they’ll all end up with loans, and that is nothing but the truth.

“That’s how most families survive, loans!

“There’s no hope of saving money for your children, for the family, for a house to build, in Samoa when you think about that stuff, make sure to get a loan and then live for the rest of your life to pay for it.

“That proves how life is treating us...it’s really sad.

“Life is getting harder and harder and I’m really worried about the future of our country especially for our children.

He went on to say that, ‘Personally, my grandchildren are the one thing that requires a lot of my attention now.

“Yes, we have village obligations to get through, fa’alavelave every day, daily needs and many more.

“But I want to make sure that they go to school every day for whatever God has in store for them and for their journey. That’s His glory.”